285 Comments

I think the Habs can have a successful season, barring any number of injuries close to last year’s. If the Habs can go through the season with minor injuries and no injuries to key players, then it will be a good season. I believe those numbers are pretty respectful. I believe Cammy will get a bit more goals…be between him and Gio for that title. The 2 power forwards in the top 2 lines now is going to open up ice for the smaller skilled players, which means Gomez will be more effective. Gomez will come out this season and be an impact player I believe. The North East division will be tight this year with Buffalo, Boston and Toronto…Ottawa is rebuilding. I project Habs to finish 4-6th in conference. I have all faith that Price will be as consistent and great as he was last year. I think the magnifying glass will be on our forwards this year and whether they can produce. Other than that…if everything else stays as good and consistent as last year…with the forwards producing what they should…it’s looking good. Go Habs Go!

Those numbers set realistic expectations. I might be undercutting some players. 245 goals would have been in the top 10 in goals scored last season. If they exceed the numbers I put down the Habs will be a power house.

Numbers a little inflated..even with an injury-free season. Gomez with 10G and 50P is very optimistic.

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” There were giants on the earth in those days; and also after that (The Deluge), when the Sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” Genesis 6:4

@ HardHabits:
I think that you are pretty much spot on with the 4 lines. I am also pretty sure that Engqvist will be centering the 4th line and he is a right hand shot, big and apparently good on face-off.
Unless they sign or trade for a right hand shot to play on the right wing on the 3rd line, I don’t see anything wrong with Darche being there until Eller recovers from surgery…
And for the defense pairings, I see Weber starting with Spacek instead of Emelin. Diaz will start in Hamilton.
I believe that we have a strong team!

You are being conservative with the ColCamPleks line- you project 70. I believe they are good for a goal per game for 82.
PAcGoGIo are about right at 65.
45 from the 3rd line + 10 for Eller when he’s backsounds right.
5 for the 4th is very low. even i goal per 8 games nets them 10 +.
100 pts for Subban and Markov with 40G and 60A is possible, but I’ll say 30G + 60A.
Yem/Spacek for 10G + 25A
Gill/Gorges for 3G + 18 A
Diaz/Weber- 5G + 5A
+ 1 empty netter for Price

Total of 251 for. Still think they can do better, but that’s the expectations of 90s era NHL. This is the toughest league in the world to score goals in.

Your predictions seems fair. If there’s anything optimistic about it, it would be Desharnais (who can hit those marks but probably needs a good year) and the Yemelin-Spacek pairing who will struggle to reach 10 goals, let alone 15. 5-15-20 seems more realistic to me.

Nobody is talking about trading Price or Subban. Not one person is phoning PG and demanding he pull the trigger. It’s hypothetical. At 25JULY 10, 2011 12:34 PM AT 12:34 PM gohabsgo posted:

Stamkos has listed the Habs one of the 3 teams he wants to get traded too.

who would you trade for Stamkos?

And so began a discussion. This is a forum. Not the gulag.

The discussion almost immediately led to the suggestion that Price or Subban would have to be part of any negotiations.

The eventual conclusion being that to get Stamkos in a trade, Montreal would more than likely have to offer either;
1) Price + a 3rd pick + a prospect, or
2) Subban + a 1st pick + a prospect
for that deal to start getting any traction.

As much as Price and Subban are valuable and as pair add up to more than Stamkos, individually Stamkos has a higher market value in any trade scenario than Price or Subban currently do.

As unlikely the scenario is, any 1 for 1 deal would be consensually considered a favourable one for the Habs.

My life not to live eh? first rule of business….. don’t insult your customers. Habs (ops sorry) Hockey inside out is losing me with these condescending jabs not to mention the lack of coverage on the bulldogs playoff efforts in exchange for flattering articles praising the Bruins shameful goon filled cup run. Say good bye to all the monthly posts bragging about site visit increases, because this site is losing focus on what makes it successful. That would be obsessed fans whose lives are all about the habs no matter what $#&%ing month it is.

I will rip into anyone who bashes my Canadiens, especially “habs fans”.

Good point.
It doesn’t take a genius to come up with easy things to write about that the HIO gang would love to know.

Here are some ideas:
– Which guys train where?
– How’s Gomez doing on his summer training – for his REVIVAL? (I’d LOVE to read about that!)
– What’s Josh Gorges up to while he waits for his arbitration date?
– What’s our Captain, Brian Gionta up to… how does he feel about his first year as Captain? What did he learn?
– What’s the Subban family doing these days – do PK and his brothers spend much time together in summers?
– How has Hamilton changed for this year?
– What’s the word on the job search to replace Kirk Muller?
– How many NHL teams don’t have a defensive coach? How many don’t have a goalie coach (I heard the Avs don’t).
– Who are the new guys in Hamilton?
– A serious analysis of our UFA period to date would be interesting.
– A review of the last five years in trades would also be interesting… it would be great to see what an “unbiased” eye would say about our trades to date.
– What teams are still looking for bodies and what kind of players?
– Who are PG’s likely dance partners?

… Jeez guys, need more ideas?
Honestly, links to other people’s articles are good but how about a couple of interesting features about OUR team.

I agree with you. Something is missing since the name & format change. The name change is OK (if the Habs are that uptight about it. And quite frankly can’t see a copyright issue on that). But the look and content has taken a dive since the change. I actually lost interest in the site for quite a few months and occasionally take a look as there are still very interesting comments. I would also like more in depth reports and summer features on players. Maybe even an occasional retro look on retired Hab players “Where are they now”. They should go back to the old format and look of the page. In any case its still an OK website but it has lost a lot.

Yup I said it a few months ago that this site is going down hill. Too many stupid pop up ads going across the page. Adverts on the side of the page. Its all about advertising now using the membrship numbers to drive revenue.

Goalies are worth more than goal scorers. The win cups (see Roy, Giguere, Brodeur, etc, etc…) Stamkos is arguably one of the 6 best players in the League and Pricey is certainly up in that range for goalies. So you keep Price.

PK for Stamkos. PK plays 25+ mins in the playoffs and will own those minutes for years to come. Do you really want to trade half a game of A-grade D for clutch goalscoring… Maybe. But I doubt TB would play around with the team’s chemistry like that. They’ll do what they need to do to retain Stamkos… maybe look at an insade Philly type deal where Stamkos gets a contract for 9 years…

If we had a goalie in the organisation that could step in and win 30 games, you might have a point.

As for PK, I don’t believe TB would make the trade.

Players I would trade Price for:

1) Crosby (if healthy)
2) Ovie

Two superstars you could build a team around and hope to win a cup with. I also like Datsyuk and Doughty, but I wouldn’t necessarily trade Price straight up for them unless we had a decent goalie waiting to fill the void.

I said one of Subban or Price, not both. And I never said Crosby alone will get you a cup. You obviously need pieces around him, but he’s a generational player… I’d trade anyone on this squad for him without a moment’s notice.

Crosby without key elements won’t get you a cup, but neither will Price and Subban. What’s your point?

Found this on Wikipedia so not sure how valid but found it pretty funny:

Weber scored his first career NHL goal during the 2009 playoffs, April 20 against Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins.[2] Weber scored his first NHL regular season goal on February 9, 2011, also against Tim Thomas.[3] Somewhat comically, Weber contributed two goals during the Canadiens’ first round 2011 playoff series against the Boston Bruins, both times beating Tim Thomas. As such, the first four goals of Weber’s career, scored over a two year span, have all been against the same goaltender.

I read this thread until I couldn’t hack it any more, is everybody so bored that they’ve lost their minds. No way in Gods green earth do you deal Price or Subban, these guys are future superstars. Stamkos would be great to have but not at the cost of losing either of those two.

I hope everyone has enjoyed today’s post. It was brought to you by the fine folks of Steve Stamkos’s Players Rep Agency. All rumors and gossip was strictly for the purpose of applying pressure on the Tampa Bay hockey club and it’s management. Have a good night and please come back tomorrow for some more craziness.

Good Point Chuck. I much rather have Price and Subban in the fold then overpay for Stamkos. The blue print for success was always build from the net out and it still is. The fifty goal scorer was always far and few between and consistency is always a big factor with these guys too.

It would be way easier to shut down your offensive forward, than cool off your goalie or stop a defensman from doing his job. I’ll keep Price and Subban and rather take my chances with the team and players we have than bringing in someone who we don;t even know would click with this team.

Chemistry is so important to teams in this hockey era. That’s why GM’s like PG are floating third and fourth line players around trying to find that right combination or mix.

Carter, Richards and Pronger was rumored to be a cancer in the dressing room, therefore hard to win with players like that. This is why I think Holmgren traded these players away from the team. He brought in younger talent with the idea to start over, with hopefully a better room.

When you listen to guys like Cammy, Gionta, Pleks and even Price, the general consensus is always about “the Room” this is why SK, Higgins,Lapierre, Latendresse were players that were shipped out. They put themselves first ahead of the team.

I know Stamkos has the skills to be a great player, but great players have moved from team to team and have crashed and burned on other teams. Not saying that would happen with Stamkos, but there is always that possibility. We know what we have let’s build around that.

People in here are complaining about how we never had a second round draft pick in this past draft. Now we are talking about trading Price or Subban plus other players plus draft picks.

This team is finding it’s way along nicely, let’s not slam the foot on the brakes and make a move that we may all regret down the road. The Rangers are a prime example of a team that constantly does this. That is why they will never win a cup. They only won a cup in 96 because Messier made each and every player accountable. Without such a player the Rangers have never came close again.

The Habs are much closer to the cup than most people think. Let’s just be a little more patient and good things will come.

To you from failing hands we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high.

For the most part I agree with your post. However the Rangers actually won in 94.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I was under the impression Latendresse and Higgins just weren’t producing, I really don’t think they were causing any other problems. Lapierre wanted more ice time, and that wasn’t in our plan. SK was more of a personality problem, but I’ll accept the fact he caused problems with I think it was Gomez before he even played his first game here.

I know everyone’s bored and all, so we get excited over the improbable possibility of Stamkos being moved, but I’m so sick of the Stamkos-for-Price-1-on-1 talk. Why is it even being discussed?!?!?!?!
If we didn’t have Price last year, we wouldn’t have made the playoffs! Heck, we would’ve finished below .500! If I were to build a team right now, I would take Price for the goaltender position over any other in the NHL! He hasn’t even entered his prime yet, and he’s already one of the 3 best goalies in the league (in my books… Miller, Lundqvist, Price).
PK and Price are UNTOUCHABLE!!! I would even hesitate trading Price for Crosby or Ovechkin!
@ HH – I agree with you most of the time, and you’re entitled to your opinion but this, “a straight up trade 1 on 1 Stamkos for either Price or Subban would be advantageous to Montreal,” is taking it too far! I also want us to get bigger and deeper, but not at the cost of trading a franchise net-minder/MVP who is the reason why we win half our games. Please!
The ONLY way I would want to get Stamkos is by submitting an offer and forfeit the (assumingly low) 1st-round picks or by somehow coming to a deal THAT DOES NOT include Price, PK, Cammy or Gionta.
ENOUGH of this Stamkos for Carey talk!!! Stamkos hasn’t proven that he can play without Marty and oh yeah, I also forgot he was in the lineup for a couple of those games in that Boston series. Price has proven he can not only overcome a S*** load of adversity, but how he can hold a team together and give anyone chance to win in every single game no matter who they play.

No. But I can live with Vokoun, Varlamov, Emery, Hiller, Rask, Thomas…..etc.

Two season’s ago Price was at risk of losing his job to Halak.

Prior to that Gainey was dangling Price, Subban, Plekanec and a prospect for Lecavalier of all things.

Philly just traded Carter and Richards.

Price was maybe going to fetch Eller and Schultz a year ago if even that.

It wouldn’t happen because as much as Price and Subban have the potential to be great players and are being groomed to be the back-bone of the Habs, neither would command what Stamkos would on the trade market.

Get over it.

It’s not as wide a stretch as say what AK46 could fetch versus what Carter and Richards returned but I’d still say that Stamkos’ trade value easily exceeds that of either Subban or Price.

My whole point is what’s up with all the Price/Subban for Stamkos trade talk? I don’t care about getting into a debate over Stamkos’ value vs. Price/PK’s value, I just don’t understand why some posters would be willing to trade one/both of the cornerstones of our franchise for Stamkos.
Aren’t you satisfied with Price and Subban? And I don’t think Emery and Varlamov would be reliable since they have their annual season-ending injuries.

Wtv, I guess we agree to disagree. I’m just not in love with trading Subban/Price in general. The same way I’m sure Ray Shero wouldn’t be crazy about trading Crosby, or McPhee to trade Ovechkin, or Burke to trade Kessel 😉 etc. If Stamkos were to move, it would be because Stevie Y would be handcuffed and would be in cap trouble. Last time I checked, we aren’t being pressured to trade Subban/Price and I’m sure they will gladly sign their long-term contracts next summer.

@mike3131: and thankfully PG will never have to make that decision because SY will never make that offer.

I would rather keep Price and Subban too but in all honesty if such an offer was made and PG refused he would probably get pilloried in the press for it.

I’d consider the offer sheet route though. My suggestion a while back was to try and get Dubinsky.

As for the Stamkos thing, it’s just hypothetical and I was merely arguing that Stamkos has a higher market value over Price or Subban. I don’t think Stamkos’d be more valuable to the Habs than Price and Subban currently are as they are the Habs new identity.

The good news is that the Habs have two players that we can argue about as being of equal value to a 50 goal scorer. 😀

Obviously Stamkos has more value than PK or Price but it doesn’t mean that I’d accept a 1 on 1 Price for Stamkos trade. I would turn down that offer or try to improve the deal as fast as I can considering Stevie Y wouldn’t be sober enough to offer that ;). We can argue this all night… Thanks for the debate, though! Cheers!

He did lose his job to Halak. And Price still hasn’t won a single playoff series – and he just broke a three year home losing streak in the playoffs. The playoffs are when men step up. Jaro did. Will Carey?

stamkos is better suited for a team like tampa bay that has issues selling tickets without marquee name help. the big scorers will always be more valuable to these type of teams then a team like montreal or toronto. all three players are franchise players from different positions but the forward position always commands higher dollars even though the player is just as valuble to the on ice team as the other player because or jersey/ticket sales this is why ovechkin makes 9 million and a player like shea weber will probably make 6.5-7.5 million both are just as important but ovechkin will sell more jerseys because he scores more goals

Also most players who came off a career year and got traded will most likely never repeat what they’ve done since the new environment/teammates and expectation are all different. Always better to buy low (keep Price when he was not hot) and sell high (let go of Souray, Streit, Halak) than doing the reverse.

I think stamkos is better suited for a team like tampa bay that has a coach that embraces offence. Price and Subban fit a team that has a coach that likes his scoring coming from the blue line and the forwards back-checking first and foremost before considering that pesky little habit of scoring goals.

A respite from the glue bottle and laying off the sauce would be advisable.
Let’s give Pricey and Subby another season, aiight?

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” There were giants on the earth in those days; and also after that (The Deluge), when the Sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” Genesis 6:4

Literate and lucid enough to miss both my points. The first being your idols are not bonafide superstars like Stamkos. The second was to put the bottles down…put’em dooown.

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” There were giants on the earth in those days; and also after that (The Deluge), when the Sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” Genesis 6:4

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” There were giants on the earth in those days; and also after that (The Deluge), when the Sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” Genesis 6:4

It is doubtful that the Habs will drastically change any time in the near future. They have already been there and done that. It is also unlikely that the Habs will make any more major moves this summer. If something happens it happens. If not we pretty much know what the team will look like on opening night.

Even the team as it is without any changes is without a doubt a team that will be competitive. Possibly even a top 10 team when all is said and done. The cupboards might not be replete with splendour but they are not bare either. The Habs currently have the capacity to tap into the prospect pool to fill gaps if need be.

With the addition of Cole, Markov, Gorges, and Pacioretty, with better seasons from Gionta, Cammalleri, Plekanec, Kostitsyn and Gomez, with a progression and increased contributions from Eller, Subban, Weber, White, and Desharnais, it is for all intents and purposes realistic to suggest the Habs will improve as a team next season as compared to last.

There could be some surprises at training camp too.

The Habs don’t have to reach the cap floor. They aren’t squeezed against the cap ceiling.

They don’t have to make any trades or deal. They can if they want to though.

That Habs position strengthens. Following the current arc suggests elite status is attainable in the near future.

Totally agree..I see a tweak or two mid season or a trade or two at the deadline for a playoff run, and that’s it…We do not want to get into any more “anchor” type contracts that is currently seen around the league and in our own back yard (Gomez)…We have elite young talent and a good mixture of veterans that seem to be helping our youngsters grow into the mold of being a solid NHLer..

Price has shown progression with the addition of Auld..Will Budaj have the same effect? I hope so..Gill has done wonders with PK and god knows who else had a hand in PK’s progression, but he has as good a shot at a Norris in his career as anyone else at this point….He has the elite talent to so why trade that?

Championship teams are built from a core on out…Like I have said, our core has a great mixture of young talent and veteran leadership and a young goalie that will contend for a Vezina every year if he keeps maturing…I don’t have a doubt, BTW..

IDK about anyone else, but except for Gomez’s contract, this team has been built fairly well from the ground up…I just wish we would get a “killer instinct”….lol

If we were to trade for Stamkos, Price or PK HAVE to be involved somehow..Now I am not saying that PK and/or Price are better or worth more than Stamkos, but we have a pretty thin line when it comes to elite talent on D and the goal positions, so Price/PK are really more valuable in simply “Habs terms”…

League wide, Stamkos would fetch just as much or more on the trade front, but as a Hab fan simply thinking about what is better for the team right now, we do NOT trade PK or Price to TB for a winger…We can win with out Stamkos…We take PK or Price out of this line up and add Stamkos we won’t be a playoff calibre team…IMO..

Stamkos is a franchise player, but we are are a strong team on the wing positions…Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have Stamkos, but what we would have to give up would set us back in terms of contention for a SC ring…IMO, anyway…

Great post, I seem to remember Stamkos doing very little in the playoffs. Same with Crosby/Ovechkin against us in 2010. Many people can fill the goal scoring void, especially in the playoffs. Reliable lights out goaltending and offensively capable and solid D are much harder to replace.

If you look at his face off stats, he had a total of 187 total faceoffs..That is just a little more than 2 a game…Moore had more..I could be wrong, but I think Stamkos plays the LW position alot more than center..

Good day all! does anybody have a good hockey website to check on the latest rumors? The fourth period is reporting that the Canadians are still shopping around for more players and are trying to get rid of Spacek…and obviously the “GOAT”.

We definitely lost on that LeClair/Desjardins deal but we won 2 cups under serge savard, he was the best GM we had in the past 20 plus years–I’ll take him before gainey or gauthier any day of the week–if he was our GM no way Chara gets away with what he did to Pac, there would be a riot on the ice if that happened under Savard.

Montreal will never trade for a player like Stamkos. You have to gamble when making a trade like that and we don’t have the GM that will play poker like that. Savard on the other hand would make a trade like that. Gainey and Gauthier are good at protecting their jobs, on that I don’t blame them b/c the pay is well and it is a great job to be a NHL GM. I believe GMs that gamble and are willing to lose their job if they lose on trades are needed if you want to win a championship–unfortunately, we don’t have that now so forget the cup until that happens.

yes, big difference Bill, HUGE difference right? You’ve just shown that you think it’s ok for one poster to drop the F-bomb, yet you go batshit on me for doing it. You’re a hypocrite, and you’re pathetic. and yes, you’re a douchebag, of epic proportions. Now run along back to your ever important job of protecting the children from bad words on the internet. Guess your life is so pathetic you have to make it seem worthwhile any way you can right? The day I start taking orders from a loser like you is the day hell freezes over. Got that?

Gomez will put 65 points on the board this season as a hab. Plekanec had an awful season with numbers comparable to Gomez. He’s embarrased and will make up for his awful 2010-2011 campaign. These players are human, so if he can atleast get back to form he should be okay this year.

Gomez’s will never put up enough points to justify the contract but he will be back next season.

“I have a different constitution. I have a different brain; I have a different heart; I got tiger blood, man.” – Charlie Sheen.

why not dump gomer in the minor and offer stamkos some stupid amount , and lose the draft picks instead of trading the assets you already have , i would prefer to lose 5 1st round picks , which would most probaly be 20-30 pick , than price , PK or patches , especialy how max played last year, these GM’s need to stop thinking about the other teams and what they may do , if tampa matches , good luck stevie getting out of that mess, then they are forced to make a trade which would now benifit the other team and not tampa , as it stands now tampa has the upper hand and some bold GM will change that ,

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” There were giants on the earth in those days; and also after that (The Deluge), when the Sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” Genesis 6:4

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” There were giants on the earth in those days; and also after that (The Deluge), when the Sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” Genesis 6:4

First of all, there is no one in our system that’s remotely close of being a #1 after Price. If Budaj is our #1, we miss the playoff next season and every year until we find a suitable replacement.

Second of all, even great goal scorers rarely have more than 5 or 6 very good year and they need help to produce. Ovechkin is way better than Stamkos and he only scored 32 goals last year. We don’t have any St. Louis in our team so I don’t see how he could score 40 with us. As for goalies, most good ones stay good for at least 10 years.

Why because Stamkos = the cup or something? I firmly believe Subban is going to be something special and I want him to be that on THIS team, no other. So to me he’s an untouchable asset.

Price is our goaltending future stud. He’s already had a near-vezina year and look how young he is. Imagine in 5 years.

So yes – I’d hesitate to trade either of them. I’d rather trade Plek, Cammy, Gionta and whatever else before them. Since the lightning would have to be INSANE to trade stamkos I don’t see it happening anyway.

Some players you don’t trade, and all 3 (price, subban, stamkos) are staying where they are

Stamkos…any deal that gives up our long term prospects and future talent and top picks for him is dumb. He isn’t signed yet!
What would be the result to the Habs if we get his rights and he signs for 1 year…we go through this again next summer?
What if he should chose arbitration after one year and we don’t like the result..he becomes a UFA.
No, a deal for Stamkos would need to be done after he is signed wso we can see what we are getting in return for him..then and only then should start thinking of who to send theri way in return for one sniper.

PeterD … Stamkos had a very good first half but in the second half Boucher took Marty St Louis away from him and his production declined.
Stamkos will have to prove he can play without Marty before he
commands that kind of attention.

I would never trade for Mr. Stamkos, or any single player worth that much. Sure, Boston could do so and they would still be a reasonably good team. But what you’re really trading, aside from players and money, is potential and probability. Everyone wants Mr. Stamkos because we know he’s a rock star. What we do not know is how he will play with the other players on the team, or in our system, or even the city itself. You can’t predict that. Nor can you predict the potential of the players you’ve relinquished.

Call me crazy, but I wouldn’t even trade Mr. Price for Mr. Stamkos straight up. I believe you need to build a team from the net out. Mr. Price is currently an elite goalie. Last year he was tied for fourth in SA% & in the top ten for GAA.

So let Tampa have one of the best players in the league. Last year, healthy, I believe we had the better team. And right now, we’re better off than we were last year. And they aren’t.

As for Gomez. I agree that this guy has really underachieved especially considering his contract, but the bar for this guy is set way too high by a lot of Habs fans! He’s better than the 38 points and +/- he put up last year, but he’s also not a 70 point or even a 20 goal guy. I expect him to put up around 15 goals and about 40 assists, and he’s still our best forward at bringing the puck into the offensive zone, and will usually always find his wingers if they can break free. JM had him playing with either Moen or Darche for a good part of the season. These are fourth line players, Gomez is a play maker and he needs some snipers to feed his passes to. With either Gionta and Max or Cole and Cammy as his wingers for an entire season I think Gomez should have a bounce back season. He most likely won’t be worth $7.5M, but we can’t keep whining about s contract we never even signed. I’m more bitter cause we gave up McDonoughin the trade to bring Gomez here. I feel we could’ve had the exact same deal without him in it.

” (Gomez) is still our best forward at bringing the puck into the offensive zone, and will usually always find his wingers if they can break free”
Huh?
Are we watching the same games? Pleks crosses the blue line just as well and usually manages NOT to lose the puck within 3 seconds of when he does. Gomez does this circle thing while everyone WAITS and then crosses and – surprise! – everyone is covered because the other team had plenty of time to get back. Show me that he can cross the line AND not lose the puck right away AND make a good play, and I’ll sit up and listen.

Gomez may be an okay 2nd line center… that is if he picks it up significantly from last year. But people need to get over this idea that Gomez is somehow spectacular at ANYTHING. The results speak for themselves. He’s not any easy player to play with because of how he plays. It’s not typical… and it’s not that good either.

I don’t have any problem with Gomez as a third line center earning third line dollars. The problem is, in a cap league you have to get value for your money. $7.5M is 100 pt a year dollars. It’s the guy that is on the ice winning close games. It is your superstar! It is not a 38 pt a year player, or even, for that matter a 55 pt a year player. Gomez salary cap hit is more valuable than Gomez is, because the team can get better sticking him in the minors and using the reduced hit to get a more productive player. Is he good enough to play in the NHL? Yes. Can the Habs afford him and the production he brings? No. I don’t see him offering to restructure his salary to more realistic levels, and nor would I expect him to, but that makes him, or should make him, a great AHL player.

Crosby was injured as were many of the game’s best players like Marc Savard. Lose the instigator and bring back ‘police’ protection and there won’t be the number of attacks we’ve seen recently. If we had a guy Laraque’s size who could score 8-10 goals a year and would dismember Chara, the big bastard would not nearly have killed Pacioretty. Who on the Canadiens even had cross words for him afterwards? What a disgrace. Oops another rant about FrankenChara. Still relevant though. There has to be a price paid for abusing our players. Stars or not. Protect them.

It is a sign of how much respect Gomez still commands with his peers that just about everyone on the team will defer to letting him carry the puck, but Plekanec is waaaaaaaaaaaay more effective carrying the puck into the zone. So is Cammy and it is not really his role. Hell, Eller gains the zone and maintains possession better than Gomez and makes fewer boneheaded passes 10 feet inside the blue line.

I expect Gomez to have a better season this year, maybe 55-60 points and not be a millstone, but honestly, despite his speed and moves he is about 6th or 7th on the depth chart of who you want rushing the puck.

Boston has the pieces to trade. So Hab fans, do you really think your Gomez, Spacek, Weber, *insert b level prospect* and a 1st can compete with Seguin, Marchand, Caron and Rask?

If Stamkos was on the block, Habs would never be able to compete with what other teams are offering. That’s why I and some others get pissed when we trade away young guys and draft picks for NOTHING. It leaves the closet bare when it comes to packaging players in a deal. Teams want young talent. The only top line young talent we have is Price and Subban. Then secondary talent is Patches and Eller. Desharnais and Weber have 0 value. Leblanc and Tinordi are nice, but they are not blue chip prospects.

THF – I’m not sure how Boston could ever trade for Stamkos. They would need to offer him 10M which means the same amount of coin needs to go the other way. They would also have to spend another 2.5-3M to replace the extra three guys going to Tampa.

I disagree. I’d love to see that trade. it would totally compromise Boston’s future, they’d have to replace 3/4 of those players immediately, and there’s no guarantee Mr. Stamkos would perform as well there. If Boston made that trade I’d become more fearful of the Lightning.

Oh I don’t know about that. Of the players mentioned, only Marchand played a significant role for them this season (and who knows how he’ll play without Dr. Recchi on his line). Seguin was often a healthy scratch, Caron was in the AHL, and Rask was sitting on the bench watching the single greatest statistical season in modern goaltending history.

For Tampa Bay though, that trade would signficantly help them for the future:

Seguin – legitimate potential superstar to replace Stamkos
Marchand – legitmate 2nd line player (with a ton of “grit” to go with Malone and Downie)
Caron – solid prospect (1st round pick) with what I’ve been told is 2nd line potential.
Rask – former all-star starting goalie to replace their current 43 yr old goalie.

To those that feel we could trade Price. If this team is on its way to some long term success over the next 2-5 years, he is the backbone of that. This is not to say he is or will be the next Patrick or Martin F., but he appears to be on his way to being a franchise goalie for the forseeable future. Having a goalie of his calibre is key. When teams point out the Red Wings or BlackHawks as teams that won with average goaltending, one can’t forget that those teams depth at the time of their Cups was second to none in the league.

We have a good core, with average depth. Price helps cover up alot of teams weakness and in my opinion is irreplaceable. Especially given we don’t have 1 top prospect playing goal in our system.

Plus, Mr. Gauthier is on record stating again and again that he likes the team assembled in Montreal. To switch two budding superstars for Mr. Stamkos doesn’t add to the mix, it sends the wrong message and removes stability.

If we were one player away from a Cup team, and we had depth in other areas, it might make sense to sacrifice Price/PK/Pacioretty/Eller and spare parts for Stamkos, but we’re not and we don’t. Let’s not strip assets from one area to build another, rob Peter to pay Paul.

Mr. Stamkos would be great to have, we just can’t afford him right now. When we stockpile more draft picks and prospects, we’ll have currency t make a big move like that.

Incarcerated Bob is a twitter Eklund. He is known mainly for his New York Jets tweets. There is virtually no credibility to him. However, he has been right the odd time. Who knows where he heard this. But hey something for us to noodle over.

According to Incarcerated Bob, we had a trade lined up that would ship Gomez out and we offered Brad Richards a contract, however, Gomez refused to waive his NTC so we couldn’t declined the Richards offer.

Problem with all the deals suggested is that increasing the number of so-so players doesn’t make it a better offer. If you are a car dealer, you’ll trade a new Mercedes for 8 used Corollas. But in hockey it doesn’t work that way. Roster fillers are everywhere.

Eller & Pac are former 1st rd picks with top 6 potential, Weber is maybe the next Mark Streit or he’s just overrated by Habs fans. Throwing in draft picks as well, there’s not much MTL can offer and at the same time Tampa Bay doesn’t want too much salary either, they are stuck with the never ending salary of Lecavalier.

I would throw in Leblanc, Tinordi or whomever they wanted just not Subban or Price.

It’s hillarious to me when you see Spacek, Gomez and Weber in a deal for Stamkos….as if they have any value. MaxPac and Eller are nice pieces but they don’t have much value. It doesn’t matter where they were drafted.

And if i see Desharnais in a nother trade I’ll lose it. He has NO value.

We’re talking about frigging Stamkos here. You will need to give up worthwhile pieces. Subban or Price will most likely have to go the other way. Look at it in tampa’s prespective. How can you trade the face of your franchise for a bunch of over the hill spare parts with big contracts?

i know he wont get traded but i dont even believed it i just posted it because it just got my hopes a lil high lol.

it will be plain dumb to trade our untouchables.

how legit is thefourthperiod

Canadiens still looking to deal
TheFourthPeriod.com

The Montreal Canadiens continue to shop quietly for upgrades, despite signing left wing Erik Cole and adding him to their top-six forward corps.
Cole, who is expected to play atop the Canadiens’ first unit, inked a four-year, $18 million contract on July 1.

Canadiens GM Pierre Gauthier has been shopping center Scott Gomez, who has a limited no-trade clause and can list up to three teams he would not accept a deal to.
While a trade is not imminent, Gauthier has been trying to weigh his options and determine what deal might be available should he decide to pull the trigger.

The Canadiens are also believed to be shopping veteran defenseman Jaroslav Spacek, who has one-year left on his contract at a cap hit of $3.833 million.

Unless there’s a bigger picture, trading Gomez is pointless. MTL is not in cap trouble, losing Gomez would hurt this team.

Spacek OTOH was signed to make passes to Markov on the PP like he did Campbell in Buffalo. Unfortunately he never got the opportunity, maybe he’s just being mis cast but if we lose him I’m not sold on Weber being a suitable replacement.

Stamkos at the age of 21 is one of the best players in the league. Until he slowed down in the second half he was in contention for league MVP. If Tampa reluctantly agrees to trade him, they will want more than spare parts in exchange. They will want a young player who is a prospective future all-star.

We have two of those.

The one team that could offer Yzerman what he wants is Boston. Seguin, Marchand plus would be an interesting starting point for negotiations.

At least there’s a winning culture in Tampa. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Tavares bolt the second he hits free agency. I’m not a huge Tavares fan, but if PK could talk him into coming to Montreal I would certainly be happy about it.

“Just like Stamkos?” Has he won the Stanley Cup? He hasn’t accomplished the goalie equivalent of what Stamkos has done, HE HAS NOT WON A SINGLE PLAYOFF SERIES YET. It’s all promise until – and unless – he fulfills it.

cuzzieJULY 10, 2011 12:15 PM AT 12:15 PM
Enjoying this beautiful day by taking it easy and enjoying the fruits of my labour in my beautiful backyard. I love Hockey but I’m thinking of baseball and my beloved EXPOS. I read that article of baseball in Montreal and I get totally pissed off. I supported my team but a lot of people of my generation who were big sports fan are living somewhere else due to the LITTLE MINDED PEOPLE of this province. To read an article like that the anger and frustration just boils me over. My son got me an EXPOS cap for fathers day. I have a picture of me holding him when he was just months old with him wearing an EXPOS cap. Member of Rusty Staub fan club and sadly missing my EXPOS on this Beautiful Day. Hockey has it’s season but we should be talking about baseball.( If we had our team). Sorry for ranting. EXPOS FOREVER.

Isles. $38M 18 players signed. Need to spend another $10M. We can help you, Mr Snow.

Preds $41M, 20 players. But they can easily increase their payroll by signing Weber and Suter to long term deals.

Colorado. $42M, 20 players. We can help you too.

Jets and Yotes both have to sign two players and spend $3M.

Teams that are obviously tanking next season

Senators. $47M on 20 players. And no one can accuse them of tanking on purpose. Not with Bryan Murray in charge.

Florida and Dallas are also near the floor.

Teams that are still looking to make trades

Habs have only 19 players signed. Maybe they are trying desperately for a blockbuster deal. If it doesn’t work out they will just sign Gorges and White and pick up a utility 4th liner on the cheap.

LA Kings. Only 19 players signed and over $11M in cap space, and a team that is close to challenging for the big prize.

Teams that are a joke

Toronto Maple Leafs. Failed to sign a prominent UFA because (choose one) Brian Burke refuses to sign front loaded contracts, Brian Burke was too busy supporting the troops, Who cares, every game is a sell out anyway.

Suspect Kotalik plays in the minors as Calgary did to him last season. That free’s up $3 ml or they move one of their young D. Gragnani lead the team in play-off scoring so he takes Sekera’s spot, who has gone to arbitration. Both are young offensive defensemen which we don’t need more of, Weber I wouldn’t mind, but not likely.

I realize Cole most definitely will be given an opportunity to play along side Pleks and Cammy, and while its the obvious move, and does deserve a chance… Once Eller comes back I cant help but wonder what Eller could do in between Max and Cole. thats a line with some size that wouldn’t be easy to play against. In inserting Eller in between those 2, it slides Gomez out of the top 6, allows that plug Gomez to play against the other teams 3rd or fourth lines on a more consistent basis. As much as I don’t like the guy, he would be a great 3rd line centre. Its just to bad he’s getting paid like a first. Furthermore Gionta has shown previous chemistry with Pleks and Cammy so that line has shown it can work. Clearly lines get tinkered with game to game, period to period, even minute to minute. I’d just love to give this one a try. Wishful thinking more then anything. JM will never make that happen.

A grinder that can score is a “power forward.” So, what’s wrong with that besides not having the personnel to do it? Low scoring, defense and a goalie that must be perfect. So, what to do?
You add Cole and, a hopefully fully recovered and still able to go to the dirty areas, MaxPac. This gives the Habs scoring balance not seen for the longest time, with 3rd line scoring.
The work ethic on the team is excellent and with more finishing, this team could challenge for the conference title. But, of course, since it’s JM running the ship, it will obviously be no good, right?

@G-man, I am being rather facetious as it pertains to JM. I respect the fact he knows hockey and knows his system. But he does at times drive me nuts with some of the line juggling and how quick he can be to just playing 3 lines up front and 4-5 defenders. A little longer leash during the reg. season I think could be helpful in the development of our youngster, but who am I to tell an NHL coach what to do.

Eller blew me away the way he blossomed under pressure in the playoffs. I finally believe he’s got the royal jelly and am drooling to see him get more minutes – with decent linemates. He could be top six by January.

No coach plays that odd man rush style, trusting his out-manned D to make a great play to stop goals. In the undisciplined old days of the NHL, you used to see a lot of it. No more.
All teams have defensive systems to keep their team in control of the game. All out offense is a lose -lose scenario.

True Dat G-man. Keep the other team off the board until the 3rd is the way to go. Speed and fore check creates errors and penalties through the center ice area, creating chances. Defensive responsibilities come first and foremost from the red line back to Price.!.